Hand knitting device



March 2, 1937. B. E. ELTGROTH HAND KNITTING DEVICE Filed July 8, 1936 oO I o 2 o O f a M O F O O m o o o 0 o o o 0 o o o w 6 O 1 0 Z .L O 0 nQ/J. .vu w 1 2 m a MW ZUZZ7Z66665 M Patented Mar. 2, i937 TEES A'EEld'i'@Fi-ICE Claims.

This invention pertains to hand knitting devices, ancl more particularlyto that type of such devices wherein a frame having a slot or opening isequipped with upstanding pins on opposite 5 sides of the slot oropening, and the yarn is looped back and forth in one direction of theframe around the pins of the opposing rows to form a lower layer or web,and is again looped back and forth in the opposite direction of theframe to form a second layer or web on top of the first, and the loopsof the first or lower layer are then, by a suitable pick or hook, raisedover the tops of the pins and allowed to drop onto the loops of thesecond layer, and so forth; the fabric, as it is thus built, being drawndown through the slot or opening of the frame.

Among the objects of the invention are, to provide an improved framestructure for carrying the pins whereby the slot or opening between thetwo rows of pins may be varied in width to suit coarse or fine, yarnsand also to produce a fabric of relatively close or open texture, asdesired, to provide a device by the use of which a flat knitted fabricof varying widths to conform to different portions of the human body,such as bust, waist and hips may be readily made, and, generally, toprovide a very simple, inexpensive, and improved tool for hand knittingof the type described.

An approved embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device,broken out between its ends.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal section onthe offset line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view, showing the manner of forming thelower layer or Web.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing one manner of applying theupper layer or web.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 4 and 5, showing in dotted lines theupper layer or web of Fig. 5 superposed on the lower layer or web ofFig. 4.

igs. 7, 8 and 9 are progressive vertical transverse sections, 7 showinga loop of the lower web on one side raised over its pin, Fig. 8 showinga lop of the lower web on the opposite side raised over its pin, andFig. 9 showing the two raised loops and the fabric body drawndownwardly, ready for the application of the next layer or web (shown bydotted lines).

Referring to the drawing, it and H designate a pair of bars, ofrectangular cross section, preferably of wood, through the ends of whichare formed registering holes to receive threaded bolts 52. As shown inFig. 3, the inner opposed faces of the bars are countersunk around the 5holes to house thrust springs l3 encircling the bolts, and each bolt isequipped on its threaded end with a wing nut 14. By this constructionthe springs l3 normally force the two bars apart, and the width of theslot between the two bars can manifestly be varied as desired by merelyadjusting the nuts M.

On the upper surface of the bar ID, a short distance from its inneredge, is a row of equally spaced headed pins i5; and similarly locatedon the bar i l is a similar row of headed pins I6, the pins of each rowbeing staggered relatively to the pins of the other row, as clearlyshown in Fig. 1. The pins of both rows are preferably headed, as shownin Figs. 3, '7, 8 and 9.

In the outer side of each bar, a short distance inwardly from its outerend, is formed a vertical kerf H, the purpose or function of which is togrip the yarn and prevent any possible unraveling of the fabric.

Associated with the device for the knitting operation is the usualpointed needle or pick l8 (Figs. '7 and 8) by which the loops of thelower layer or web are raised above and over their pins and allowed todrop onto the upper layer or web.

In the use of the device, in one end of the yarn is formed a slip knotwhich is passed down over one of the end pins as indicated in Figs. 1and 2. The yarn is then passed back and forth and looped around pins ofthe two rows from one end of the device to the other in the mannerindicated in Fig. 4, forming what I have termed the lower layer or web.It is then carried back and looped around the pins in a manner shown forexample in Fig. 5, forming the upper layer or web superposed on thelower layer or web, as indicated in Fig. 6. This second looping of theyarn around the two rows of pins may be done in a variety of ways otherthan that shown in Fig. 5 to produce fabrics having different types ofstitches. With the pick IS the knitter then passes down one row of pinssuch as the pins l6, raising the loops over the pins and allowing themto drop as shown in Fig. 7. This operation is then repeated on the loopsof the opposite row of pins, as shown in Fig. 8. The knitted web thusstarted is drawn downwardly through the slot between the two bars, asindicated in Fig. 9, and the above described cycle is repeated until aknitted web of the desired length has been formed.

The device is readily adaptable to the knitting of fiat fabrics ofvarying width portions. For instance, in knitting the front or rear halfof a sweater, the full length of the device may be used to knit therelatively wide hip portion, and as the fabric progresses into thenarrower waist portion,

the yarn is passed back and forth around a progressively smaller numberof the rows of pins, and as the fabric progresses into the bust portionthe yarn is passed around an increasing number of pins. Two fiat fabricshaving thus been Iknitted may be stitched together at their edges, thusforming the complete body of a garment.

The described connections of the two bars at their ends form a valuablefeature'of the device in that it enables the spacing of the two rows ofpins, and the slot between them, to be varied as desired. When using arelatively heavy and coarse yarn, the wing nuts will be backed offslightly to widen the slot; and when using alight or fine yarn, the wingnuts will be advanced to narrow the slot. The springs 13 at all timeshold the two bars in spaced relation, care being taken to advance orretract both of the nuts to the same extent when adjusting the device.

I have herein shown and described a physical embodiment of the inventionwhich in practice has been found to satisfactorily effectuate the statedpurposes and objects thereof, but manifestly structural changes may beresorted to within the principle of the invention and withoutsacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and hence I do not limit theinvention to the specific form shown, but reserve all such variationsand modifications as fall within the spirit and purview of the claims.

I claim:

1. A knitting device of the class described, comprising a pair oflaterally spaced bars, longitudinal rows of upstanding pins on the topsof said bars, means connecting said bars at their ends permittingadjustment of the width of the space hetween said bars, and spring meansmaintaining said bars in adjusted position.

2. A knitting device of the class described, comprising a pair oflaterally spaced bars, longitudinal rows of upstanding pins on the topsof said bars, means connecting said bars at their ends permittingadjustment of the width of the space between said bars, and thrustsprings between the inner opposed sides of said bars normally forcingthem apart.

3. A knitting device of the class described, comprising a pair oflaterally spaced straight bars having registering transverse holes intheir ends, tie bolts extending through said holes, longitudinal rows ofupstanding pins in the tops of said bars, and thrust springs between theinner opposed sides of said bars.

4. A knitting device of the class described, comprising a pair oflaterally spaced straight bars having registering transverse holes intheir ends, tie bolts extending through said holes, longitudinal rows ofupstanding pins in the tops of said bars, and coil springs encirclingsaid bolts between the inner opposed. sides of said bars and normallyforcing the latter apart.

5. A knitting device of the class described, comprising a pair oflaterally spaced straight rectangular bars having registering transverseholes in their ends, said holes being countersunk in the inner opposedsides of said bars, tie bolts extending through said holes, longitudinalrows of upstanding pins in the tops of said bars, and thrust springsseated in the countersinks of said holes and encircling said bolts.

6. A knitting device of the class described, comprising a pair oflaterally spaced straight bars, longitudinal rows of upstanding pins onthe tops of said bars, the pins of one row being staggered relatively tothe pins of the other row, means con-' meeting and spacing said bars attheir ends, and yarn gripping kerfs in the outer sides of said bars.

BERTINA E. ELTGROTI-I.

